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Setting expectations? Prepare to be disappointed

Karen Hartline

I had a much-needed 48 hours in L.A. recently and had the chance to catch up with some of my girlfriends that I haven’t seen in a while. You have to know that whenever women get together the conversation always turns to relationships and boy did we have LOTS to talk about. As one girlfriend is in a new relationship, she shared about being disappointed that an evening together after not seeing each other for a while didn’t turn out as she expected.

And that’s when I had an A-HA moment…

When we set expectations, are we really setting ourselves up to be disappointed? Think about it…how many times have you had an expectation for what you wanted and yet, it didn’t turn out anything like what you had hoped? Not only that, but when we have such high hopes for something, we ultimately miss other opportunities and happenings going on because we’re so focused on that one thing we want so bad.

Someone once told me a great piece of advice that I often repeat to myself when it comes to relationships…enjoy it for what it is and don’t expect more. I love this as I’d much rather live in the moment than have an expectation that may or may not ever become reality. When we script out our lives, conversations, events, etc. we’re unable to fully appreciate what is happening in real-time.

I think expectations ultimately bring more disappointment than joy. We can definitely have hopes and dreams but there’s an extra level of pressure when those hopes and dreams become expectations. Be careful out there friends…I don’t want you to be disappointed.

Awesomesauce

Been there. Done that. Doing it again.

Karen Hartline

I’m amazed at the people and opportunities that have come into my life in the short time I’ve been in the Bay area. I’ve worked with some of the most amazing people in the industry and have learned numerous things from them. Pete Cashmore, Adam Hirsch and an all-star team have built Mashable from a ‘blog’ to a news source, recognized around the world. Brian Solis is a total powerhouse in branding and thought leadership. He is one smart dude. And Stephanie Agresta has not only been a friend and mentor, but gave me a great opportunity to work with Porter Novelli, one of the best PR agencies in the world, teaching me how digital and social media can be a strategic force for every brand.

While my time at Porter Novelli has been a great learning experience, I realized that it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do. As I thought more and more about this, my passion for creating and producing events and conferences became crystyl clear. I mean, that’s how I got my start in this wonderful world of the interwebz through my work with Community Next and it only made sense that I try to get back to a place where that passion could soar.

I’m very excited to share the news that I am officially back with Mashable as Events Director.

@khartline @jolieodell @mashable @benparr
Excited to join the fine looking team of Jolie O'Dell, Pete Cashmore and Ben Parr. Photo credit: Lisa Bettany http://mostlylisa.com

Two years ago when I worked for Mashable, I was impressed with what was in store for Mashable. Those plans have become reality. While I can’t tell you much about the recent discussions I’ve had with Pete, Adam, Brett Petersel (my brother from another mother), Ben Parr & Jolie O’Dell (the fabulous SF team) and the rest of Team Mashable, I CAN tell you that we’re all in store for some amazing things.

Hold on to your hats…because I’m ready to rock!

Deep Thoughts

The importance of IRL and F2F

Karen Hartline

A few weeks ago it hit me…I’ve been hiding. I haven’t been out to many tech events lately, am much more comfortable at home, and am being selective in the people I’m hanging out with. This surprises me as I score extremely extraverted on Myers-Briggs (I’m an ENTP) and have been a social butterfly for many years.

But something’s changed lately…

I feel like my social media life and my real life are becoming more and more separate. Wait, that’s not true. I think I’m putting more of an importance on my real life instead of my social media life. I don’t share everything on Twitter like I used to, even though I do share completely random things. I’m getting more and more annoyed when people are tweeting/texting or whatever when we’re sitting together at a meal.

I honestly think I have a bit of an addiction to social media and what’s going on ‘out there’. Don’t judge…you know you have the same addiction to a certain degree. 67%

What’s funny is that by being addicted to ‘what’s out there’, we’re missing so much of what’s going on RIGHT HERE…in front of our faces…in the same room…with the people sitting next to us. There are things that happen and conversations you have when you’re F2F and hanging out IRL that could never be communicated in 140 characters or less.

Don’t interpret this as I hate social media, because that’s far from the truth. Social media has allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people. I’m reconnecting with friends who knew me back in Oklahoma, keeping up with those I love deeply but only see every now and then, getting news updates and even doing business via social media. It’s great.

But I’m ready to take it back to the old school a little more often. Unplugging and just having good ol’ fashioned hanging out time, just like it used to be before we all had computers and smartphones.

Who’s with me?